A former Russian investigator has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for receiving a bribe in Bitcoin, marking the largest corruption case in Russia's history.
Marat Tambiev received around $73 million in Bitcoin from an organized crime group he was investigating. This bribe is more than five times larger than the previous biggest bribe in the country, according to reports by Russian media cited by Reuters.
Tambiev transferred more than half of the crime group's funds to his own crypto wallets instead of confiscating all assets for the state, as required by law. The keys to these wallets were found by investigators in a file on his computer labeled "Pension."
In court, Tambiev insisted on his innocence, arguing that his actions allowed the state to recover part of the funds belonging to the crime group. Nevertheless, he plans to appeal the sentence.
Some of the stolen funds have been recovered, but the whereabouts of the remaining Bitcoin have yet to be determined. It is also reported that his alleged accomplice received nine years in prison.
